Little Buddhas

Children and Childhoods in Buddhist Texts and Traditions

Edited by Vanessa R. Sasson

Description

Consideration of children in the academic field of Religious Studies is taking root, but Buddhist Studies has yet to take notice. Little Buddhas brings together a wide range of scholarship and expertise to address the question of what role children have played in Buddhist literature, in particular historical contexts, and what role they continue to play in specific Buddhist contexts today. The volume is divided into two parts, one addressing the representation of children in Buddhist texts, the other children and childhoods in Buddhist cultures around the world. The ground-breaking contributions in this volume challenge the perception of irreconcilable differences between Buddhist idealism and family ties. Little Buddhas will be an indispensable resource for students
and scholars of Buddhism and Childhood Studies, and a catalyst for further research on the topic.

Children and Childhoods in Buddhist Texts and Traditions

Edited by Vanessa R. Sasson

Author Information

Contributors:

Elijah Ary - teaches Tibetan religious history at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris, France.Thomas Borchert - Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Vermont.Wei-Yi Cheng - Assistant Professor at the Department of Religious Studies, Hsuan Chuang University (Taiwan).Kate Crosby - Director of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (SOAS). Melissa Anne-Marie Curley - Assistant Professor of Japanese Religions at the University of Iowa.Karen Derris - Associate Professor and Chair of the Religious Studies Department at the University of Redlands.Christoph Emmrich - teaches South and Southeast Asian Buddhism at the University of Toronto. MonicaLindberg Falk - Vice Director and Senior Lecturer at the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies at Lund University, Sweden. Frances Garrett - Associate Professor of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies in the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto. Winston Kyan - Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Utah. Amy Paris Langenberg - Religious Studies and Women's Studies Instructor at Auburn University.Todd Lewis - Professor of World Religions at the College of the Holy Cross.Miriam Levering - Professor of Religious Studies and Asian Studies Emerita at the University of Tennessee. Justin McDaniel - teaches Buddhism and Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Hillary Rodrigues - Professor of
Religious Studies at the University of Lethbridge. Jeffrey Samuels - Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy of Religion and Coordinator of Asian Studies at Western Kentucky University. Vanessa R. Sasson - Professor of Religious Studies in the Liberal Arts Department of Marianopolis College.Kristin Scheible - Assistant Professor of Religion at Bard College.Gregory Schopen - teaches in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at UCLA.Karma Lekshe Tsomo - Associate Professor in the Department of Theology & Religious Studies at the University of San Diego.

Little Buddhas

Children and Childhoods in Buddhist Texts and Traditions

Edited by Vanessa R. Sasson

Reviews and Awards

"Vanessa Sasson's Little Buddhas is a brilliant and engaging work in an emerging area of study: Buddhism and childhood studies. Written by leading scholars, the nineteen articles here explore ideas about childhood, textual representations of children, together with the actual lives of children throughout the history and diversity of Buddhist traditions. This volume challenges common assumptions about Buddhism in provocative ways, and should be a classic for years to come."--Carol S. Anderson, Professor and Chair of the Department of Religion, Kalamazoo College